Chapter V: Of Providence. De Providentia.
Of Providence. De Providentia. God, the great Creator of all things, doth uphold, [1042] direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, [1043] from the greatest even to the least, [1044] by his most wise and holy providence, [1045] according to his infallible foreknowledge [1046] and the free and immutable counsel of his own will, [1047] to the praise of the glory of his wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy. [1048] I. Magnus ille rerum omnium creator Deus sapientissima sua et sanctissima simul providentia [1049] creaturas, actiones, resque [1050] a maximis usque ad minimas [1051] universas sustentat, [1052] dirigit, ordinat, gubernatque secundum infallibilem suam præscientiam, [1053] et voluntatis suæ consilium liberum ac immutabile, [1054] ad laudem gloriæ sapientiæ suæ, potentiæ, justitiæ, bonitatis, ac misericordiæ. [1055] II. Although in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, the first cause, all things come to pass immutably and infallibly, [1056] yet by the same providence he ordereth them to fall out, according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely, or contingently. [1057] II. Quamvis respectu præscientiæ ac decreti Dei (causæ primæ) omnia immutabiliter atque infallibiliter eveniant, [1058] per eandem tamen ille providentiam eadem ordinat evenire necessario, libere, aut contingenter, pro natura causarum secundarum. [1059] III. God, in his ordinary providence, maketh use of means, [1060] yet is free to work without, [1061] III. Deus in providentia sua ordinaria mediis utitur, [1062] iis tamen non astringitur, quo minus absque eis,
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above, [1064] and against them, at his pleasure. [1065] supra [1066] aut etiam contra ea pro arbitrio suo operetur. [1067] IV. The almighty power, unsearchable wisdom, and infinite goodness of God so far manifest themselves in his providence that it extendeth itself even to the first fall, and all other sins of angels and men,
[1068] and that not by a bare permission, [1069] but such as hath joined with it a most wise and powerful bounding, [1070] and otherwise ordering and governing of them, in a manifold dispensation, to his own holy ends; [1071] yet so as the sinfulness thereof proceedeth only from the creature, and not from God; who, being most holy and righteous, neither is nor can be the author or approver of sin. [1072] IV. Omnipotentem Dei potentiam, sapientiam inscrutabilem, bonitatemque infinitam providentia ejus eo usque manifestat, ut vel ad primum lapsum, omniaque reliqua peccata, seu hominum sint sive angelorum, se extendat; [1073] neque id quidem permissione nuda, [1074] verum cui conjuncta est sapientissima potentissimaque eorum limitatio, [1075] ac aliusmodi ad sanctos sibi propositos fines dispensatione multiplici ordinatio et gubernatio; [1076] ita tamen ut omnis eorum vitiositas a sola proveniat creatura, a Deo neutiquam, qui sanctissimus quum sit justissimusque neque est, nec esse quidem potest peccati autor aut approbator. [1077]
V. The most wise, righteous, and gracious God doth oftentimes leave for a season his own children to manifold temptations and the corruption of their own hearts, to chastise them for their former sins, or to discover unto them the hidden strength of corruption and deceitfulness of their hearts, that they may be humbled; [1078] and to raise them to a more close and constant V. Sapientissimus, justissimus, et gratiosissimus idem Deus, sæpenumero filios suos tentationibus multifariis, suorumque cordium corruptioni ad tempus permittit; quo ob admissa prius peccata castiget eos, vel corruptionis iis detegat vim occultam, cordiumque suorum fraudulentiam ut humilientur; [1079] quoque eos excitet ad strictam magis et constantem a seipso proferendis suppetiis
dependence for their support unto [1080] himself, and to make them more watchful against all future occasions of sin, and for sundry other just and holy ends. [1081] dependentiam; Quo denique adversus onmes occasiones peccati de futuro reddat cautiores. Sed et ob alios etiam varios fines, justos sanctosque sibi propositos. [1082] VI. As for those wicked and ungodly men whom God, as a righteous judge, for former sins, doth blind and harden, [1083] from them he not only withholdeth his grace, whereby they might have been enlightened in their understandings and wrought upon in their hearts, [1084] but sometimes also withdraweth the gifts which they had, [1085] and exposeth them to such objects as their corruption makes occasion of sin; [1086] and withal, gives them over to their own lusts, the temptations of the world, and the power of Satan; [1087] whereby it comes to pass that they harden themselves, even under those means which God useth for the softening of others. [1088] VI. Quod scelestos illos spectat impiosque homines, quos Deus, ut justus judex, ob peccata præcedentia excæcat induratque; [1089] eis ille non solum gratiam suam non impertit, qua ipsis cum illuminari intellectus, tum affici corda potuissent; [1090] sed interdum subtrahit eis quibus imbuti erant dona,
[1091] et ipsos exponit illiusmodi objectis, unde corruptio eorum arripit sibi peccandi occasiones; [1092] simulque tradit eos suis ipsorum concupiscentiis et tentationibus mundi, et potestati Satanæ;
[1093] ex quo fit ut seipsos ipsi indurent, et quidem sub iisdem mediis quibus utitur Deus ad alios emolliendos. [1094] VII. As the providence of God doth, in general, reach to all creatures, so, after a most special manner, it taketh care of his Church, and disposeth all things to the good thereof. [1095] VII. Providentia Dei sicut ad omnes creaturas universali modo se extendit; ita modo plane peculiari Ecclesiæ suæ curam gerit, ac in ejus bonum disponit universa.
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